John von dee kammer



(NOModel.j

J. VON DER KAMMER. MAGNBTIG GIROUIT GLOSER. N0. 426,024. PatentedApr.22, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN VON DER HAMMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR Oh ONEHALF TO JAMES\VARD PACKARD, OF SAME PLAGE.

MAGNETIC ClRGUlT-CLOSER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.426,024, clated April 22, 1890.

Appllcation file(l April 25, 1839 Serial N0. 308,562. (N model.)

T0 all wh0m it mag concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VON DER KAMMER, a snbjec1; 0f tl1e E1nperorofGermany,residing ab New York, in the conny 0'f New York ancl State ofNew York, l1ave invented eertain new and useful In1prove1nents inMagnet-1c Circui-Closers; ancl I d0 hereby cleclare the following to bea fnll, clear, ancl exac1; clescription of the invention, such as Willenable 0tl1ers skilled in Ehe art 130 wh'icl1 lt appertains t0 make anclnse tl1e same.

My invention consists in the within-desc1ibed automatie eircnit-eloserf0r eleetric eircnits, 0f Whi0l1 eircnitcloser a 1nagnet -1 5 forms apart 01 element.

In the drawings, Figure l shows in diagrarn my cirenit-eloser plaeed ina shun-eireuit about an incandeseent la1np. Fig. 2 shows a preferredform of eircuit-eloser in perspective. Fi m 3 is a vertical sectionalview taken 011 the line of the axis of tl1e plng X 0f Fig. 2. Figs. 4,5, 6, and 7 represent 1nodificaions of 1ny invention.

A-s iswell known, it is necessary where a 2 5 number 0f eleetrie lampser otlier eleetrie devices are in eircnit in series t0 have s01nefor1nof antomatie circnit-closer placecl in a shnnt-eircuit about eael1la1np, whiel1 cirenitcloser shall act npon tl1e breaking of the 0 lampor 0n t-l1e destruction 0f the 1nain cirenit from any 0tl1er eanse. Ihave fo und that a magnet when nsed in such an auto1natic circnit-eloserin tl1e 1nanner herein-after to be described gives certain aclvantages,whieh I 5 will seo forth at length hereinafter.

A represents alle 1amp, Wl1ich is one of a number arranged in series inthe n1ain eireuit, 0f whieh the wires B ancl O represent a per tion.

D and E are tl1e wires 0f a shuntcirenit about the lamp A. \Vithin thisshnntcircnit is inelucled the automatie circnitcloser, t-l1e preferreclfor1n 0f which is illustrated in Figs, 1, 2, ancl 8.

5 H is any snitable insulatingbase, in wlxich tl1e metallic plugs K an dJ are placecl. These plugs are eonnectecl by serews F and G, Figx 3,Wi'll tl1e terminals D and E 0'L tl1e sl1nnt circnit.

In one 0f the 1netallie plngs J is m0nnted.

a bifureated spring contac't-pieee, l1aving the tw0 branches M an(l O.Tl1is bifnreated spring is set in the plng X, and ls a(ljnStableforwarcl and back by 1neans 0f the screwthread L, whicl1 also affordsmetallic contact 5 5 between the bifurcated spring and the plng J. Tl1eother plug K has a reeess Q, int0 wl1iel1 t-he ends of tl1e bifurcatedspring 1nay be inserted by turning the plug X. Norrnally tl1e twobranehes 0f the bifnrcated spring-terminal are l1el(l together by asnitable (ihn Y 0f any fnsible material. \Vhen tl1'e lamp A breaks, aspark is .forrned between tlre terminals of tl1e bifnreaecl spring ancltl1e recessecl plng K, whioh spark n1elts tl1e fusible material anclper1nits the branehes M and O t0 separate, and thereby furnish broadmetallie conact bet-ween tl1eir sicles ancl the sides 0'f the reeess Q0'F tl1e plng K. This 00111- pletes the slu1nt-circnit an(l allows tl1eother 0 pars of tl1e syste1n of eleetrical connections t0 remain inoperation in spite 0f ehe (lestruetion 0f tl1e larnp A.

S0 far rny invention does not differ 1frorn that desc'ribecl in theapplieation for patent filecl by n1e April 25, 1889, of even date here-With, and serially nuxnbered 308,561; buo I 1ave found thao wl1en thetern1i nals 0f an 0pen shunt-eireuit are placed within the field 0fforee 0f a 1nagnet, tne lines 0f foree in wl1ieh field coineide Witl1 orare parallel t0 0r substantially parallel t0 the pat-l1 which tl1e sparkmust traverse, the spark willbe formecl across a break 0f rnnch greaterclistance tl1an when Ll1ere is such field 0f force present. Tl1is 8magnetie field is createcl, 0f conrse, by the presence 0f a 1nagnet,whiel1 obviously may be a permanent 1nagnet 01 an electro-1nagnet placedin a shnnt-circuit. In the preferred forrns 0f constrnction wl1ieh 1l1avego lllnstratecl. 0ne 0 3 b0th 0f tl1e terminals are permanentn1agnets, thereby ereating tl1eir own 1nagnetie fiel(L In the form 0f1ny invention illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and 8 the branehes M and. 0 0fthe 9 5 bifnreated. springterminal f01n1 a horseshoe- 1nagnet. In Fig. La similar arrangen1ent is sl10wn, exeept tl1at tl.1e tendeney of thebranel1es N and. O as tl1ere arranged is to close togethnr npon tl1eother contaen K,which roo is plaeed between thexn. This tendenev isnormally 0011 nteractecl by the fnsible '1natehlal Y, Vhih is placedbetween the branches and ad3acent t0 the te11ninal K, so that lt Will ben1elted upon the 1:Onnation of the spark, as above set ont.

In Fig. 5 an ordinary bar-magnet M is shown. This slicles in the post Iand fonns ene terminal of the broken shnnt-cirenit. K 1s the otherter1ninal, and tl1e fnsible 1nate mal Y interposed between then1 1nnstalso be a substanee of high resistanee, such as paper, 1smglass, o1 some0ther practical insnlating material, which mnst also be fnsible 01combnstible. The spring M tencls t0 close the c1rcuitby forcing.themagnet M against the terminal K. This tendeneyis oppdsed by thesubstance Y nntil the passage 0f a spark destroys 01 removes the saiclsubstance and permits the circnit t0 cl0se in the nsual manner.

The advantages 0f my invention a1e evident. Experiment has shown thauwitl1 eurrents 0f the same intensity a spatk Will jnn1p a distanee three0r fonr times greater when the terminals are in a magnetic field thanwhen they are unaffectecl by magnetie inflaences. Oonsequently in thevarious arra-ngements 0f circnit-eloser herein illustratecl, and

in all 0thers operating 0n the same p1ineiple,

a manch less carefnl a(ljnst1nent 0f the te1 minals isneeessary where1ny invention is useclthan under orclinary cirenmstances. In the seconclplace, tl1e eertainty of aetion is greatly increasecl. \Vith thelow-tension eurrents used in incandescent electric lighting a verynieeacljnstment of the te1minals ls neoessary in order that the distancebetween thern shall be sufficiently sn1all t0 permit the passage of tl1espark, and even with the most eareful adjust1nent the clevicesfreqnently tail t0 operate. Vith my invention the sueeessfnl operationot the eirenit-closer ean be counted npon, and wlthont he necessity 0fthe niee adjnstrnent referred to, f0r the obvions reason that the sparkwill jnmp a greater distance, as stated.

Vhile I have n1ainly illnstrated 1ny in vention as applied t0spring-operated eircnit closers, lt evident that 111 eonld be applie l'00 any 0f the forn1s known 110 th0se skilled in the art. Thns in theform illustrated in Fig. G, Where the terminal 31[ is a plug c0ateclwith a film of fnsible conducting 1naterial, which, when the sparkpasses, melts and pe11nits 0f the closnre 0f the eircnit throngh theaetion 0f the natnral forces 0E cohesion, which draw the moleenles 0tmolten material together, an l collecting in a globnle, bridges over theChasn1 an .l f011ns a permanent connection, closing the shnnt-circnit,if my invention is employecl and thetenninals a1e placed Within a1nagnetic field by making the plng l\[ a 1nag net 01 otherwise, tl1espark will pass 11101e easily aeross a wider ehas1n, wlth the resultingeonseqnences 01' an inereased eertainty of: action 0f Lhe clevice and adeereased necessity f01? niee adjustment. Fig. 7 shows a still simplerznuangernent, where the fnsion of one 01 both of the p0les themselvespennits 0'l3' the fnsion 0t a globnle ancl 01: the conseqnent b1idging0f the chasm anml completion. 01"; the circuit. K is an extension 0t'the bin(ling post- K and forms oneter1ninal 0f the circnit eloser.

IIaving therefore descrihed my invention, what I clai1n as new, a1nldesi1e t0 protect by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an antomatic circnit-closer f01 shuntcireuits, the springoperated1nagnet, which fonns one ter1ninal 0f the open shnnt-circnit, incombination With the 0the1 termh1aland any suitablyarranged piece 0ffusible 111aterial whieh holds the spring-operated magnet normally ontof oontaet with Lhe other terminal, snbstantially as described.

9. In an antomatic circnitcloser f01 shnnteircnits, the eombination 0fthe magnet, whieh fonns one tenninal 0f the open shnnt-circnit, theother tern1inal, and a snitable material sitnatedelsewhere than betweenthe operative faces 0f ehe terminals, which 0n the passage 0f' the spatkwill act t0 permit the closu 1e of the c'neuit, snbstantially asdescribed.

In testin1ony whereof I affix 1ny signat-n 10 in presence 0'l twowitnesses.

JOHN VON DER KAMMER.

\Vitnessesz .Lxs. W. PACKARD, JAMES BOYLAN.

